Choices
by SpiritOfAdventure
Summary: Harry could not accept that Hermione had been taken from them and was possibly at that exact moment being tortured again...then a loud crack sounded behind him. He saw a shock of white-blonde hair, and bushy brown hair too. His heart skipped a beat.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Everything you recognize belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. I am not making any money off of this.

**Author's Note**: Each chapter will be very short. I've already written the entire thing, but want to upload it in pieces, because I like it better that way.

For anyone reading this that is also following _Therapy Sessions_…I promise, I'm working on it! Honestly, I've got the next chapter almost finished, but it's the longest one yet, so I took a little break and wrote this.

This starts with the trio and company leaving Malfoy Manor in the seventh book, but changing one thing, which changes…everything. There will be flashes from scenes that happened in the books, but altered, and there will be scenes of things that never happened in the books. I am worried that the altered scenes that happened in the books will be boring to read, but the vision I had for this does not significantly affect the trio's fight against Voldemort or what they do in the battle. It just adds another person to their group. C'est la vie.

Anyway, hope it's still enjoyable to read.

* * *

><p>As Harry turned into darkness he caught one last view of the drawing room: of the pale, frozen figures of Narcissa and Draco, of the streak of red that was Ron's hair as he lunged for Dobby's outstretched hand, a blur of flying silver, as Bellatrix's knife flew across the room at the place where he was vanishing, and a flash of white-blonde as Lucius lunged for Hermione-<p>

_Bill and Fleur's…Shell Cottage…Bill and Fleur's…_

He had disappeared into the unknown and he felt the tightening around his chest, he couldn't breath, he couldn't think, and he felt Dobby's hand jerk in his; he wondered whether the elf was trying to take charge, and he tried, by squeezing his fingers, to indicate that that was fine with him…

And then they hit solid earth and smelled salty air. Harry fell to his knees and squinted through the darkness. Blurry shapes were moving toward him, but he couldn't see them properly. "Dobby, is this Shell Cottage?" he asked. "Have we come to the right place?"

He turned to look at the elf, waiting for an answer, but felt his heart stop at the sight of the silver hilt of the knife protruding from Dobby's heaving chest.

"DOBBY! NO!" he bellowed, catching the little elf in his arms as he collapsed.

"DOBBY! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP!" he yelled toward the people running toward him, not caring if they were friend or foe -

"Harry…Potter…" the little elf gasped, then trembled and was still.

"DOBBY! NO, YOU CAN'T DIE, PLEASE DON'T DIE-"

"HARRY!" he heard someone bellow, but he didn't turn toward the sound, he just lay on the sand, holding the little elf to his chest, rocking back and forth as tears leaked out of his eyes-

"HARRY! HARRY THEY GOT HERMIONE!"

His head snapped up as he felt someone grab him by the shoulders and shake him. A wild-eyed Ron was yelling in his face.

"They got…Hermione?" he asked dazedly, his head still swimming with grief from Dobby's death and the searing pain in his scar.

"Yes," Ron sobbed, looking down at the lifeless body of Dobby. "Lucius pulled her out of my grip as we were Apparating…we've got to go back! We've got to save her!"

Harry's mind finally caught up with him and he felt as if he had just been hit by a ton of bricks. Laying Dobby's body gently on the ground, he jumped up and started pacing back and forth, his heart racing and his hands running through his hair in frustration. Terror filled him as he thought that at any minute, Voldemort would be there and Hermione might be lost to them forever…

"How are we going to get back? We can't Apparate into the Manor without Dobby! And I can't call Kreacher, in case Death Eaters took him…"

Harry became dimly aware that Fleur and Bill were running up to them, but that Luna stopped them from approaching as she began talking to them quietly. He and Ron stared at each other, shocked and unsure of what to do. Perhaps Bill would know? Harry whipped around and ran up to him.

"Bill," he said, without pretense, "Hermione is being held captive at Malfoy Manor. You-know-who is on his way there right now. We need to get back there or she will be killed. Can you help us?"

Bill looked at him with a mixture of pity and horror. "Harry…Malfoy Manor has some of the strongest wards of any private-dwelling in Britain. You cannot get in unless the Master of the house _lets_ you in."

Harry stared at Bill blankly, unable to process what he was saying. They had to be able to save Hermione. They couldn't just stand by and let her-let her be-

He couldn't even finish the thought. He continued to look at Bill, as if expecting him to say something else.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Harry. There's nothing we can do."

Harry froze. He heard Ron collapse behind him, wailing unabashedly. He could not move. He could not think. He could not accept that Hermione had been taken from them and was possibly at that exact moment being tortured again, or killed…

Then a loud crack sounded behind him. He whipped around, his eyes going out of focus briefly at the quick movement. He saw a shock of white-blonde hair…and bushy brown hair too. His heart skipped a beat.

Hermione. With…Draco Malfoy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the response to this story, everyone! I know not many people reviewed the first chapter (only one as of this post) but I don't blame you, there wasn't much to review, was there? Lots of people put it on their alert list, though, so thanks! Btw, this will not be a full-length fic, I think there will be five chapters, the way I have it split up...anyway, here is the second one, a little earlier than I planned on posting it, but the first chapter was so short, I felt the need to add more. Expect the next chapter up tomorrow!

* * *

><p>"What should we do with the mudblood? The Dark Lord will be here any minute, and the other brats got away…"<p>

Hermione's head was spinning. Was that Lucius Malfoy speaking?

"Throw her in the cellar. We will speak to the Dark Lord and offer her up at the most opportune moment."

Bellatrix. Hermione felt her heart seize up in fear at the sound, and the events of the past half hour came rushing back to her. She was in Malfoy Manor. Harry, Ron, and the others had just escaped. Ron had been trying to Apparate with her, but something had gone wrong…something to do with Lucius Malfoy…

"Draco, take her down to the cellar."

She felt herself being levitated off the ground and drift out of the room. Then strong but trembling arms around her, carrying her down a set of dark stairs.

Voldemort was on his way. There was no time for her to be saved. She was about to die.

That…bothered her less than she thought it would. As she was placed onto her unsteady feet, she wondered if it was only because she was still out of it from being tortured by Bellatrix. Suddenly, she felt a flask being pushed against her lips.

"Granger, drink this."

Without hesitation she opened her mouth and drank the potion down. She found herself thinking that was a rather stupid thing to do, accept a drink from a known enemy, but she supposed she was about to die anyway so it didn't really matter…

As the potion coursed through her, she felt it warming her up, and also sharpening her senses. Her vision came back into focus. So did her thoughts.

Shit. She was about to die. _OhMerlinwhatdoIdo_.

She turned to look at Malfoy and was surprised to find that he was crying. She was surprised to find that she was apparently crying as well.

"Granger," he croaked out. "You've got to go. The Dark Lord will be here soon. He will kill you. Take this."

She felt a wand being forced into her hand and she gripped it tightly, more out of reflex than anything else. She looked at him blankly, stunned.

"He'll kill you."

Malfoy shrugged, although he looked terrified.

"I'll relax the wards for only a moment so you can Apparate out."

Her mind raced. "If you were with me, could we Apparate out without disturbing the wards?"

He looked at her confusedly, but nodded.

"Come with me," she said, without even thinking.

"I can't," he whispered.

They heard people stirring above them and both glanced up at the ceiling. She looked into his eyes and saw only fear. Knowing they had mere seconds left, she grabbed his wrist and turned on the spot.

The familiar sensation of being squeezed through a tiny tube was all she felt, and then air.

"Where-where are we?" she heard Malfoy stutter beside her.

"Forest of Dean. It's where me, Harry, and Ron were when we got captured," she replied absent-mindedly as she dug through her little beaded bag, searching for the Deluminator. It was her only hope of finding Harry and Ron again…

"Got it," she whispered triumphantly, pulling out the strange little instrument and staring at it intently.

Malfoy was white-faced and trembling beside her. "He's going to kill my parents."

Hermione felt pity wash over her, but there was little time for it. "Maybe," she said, trying not to sound indifferent. But she honestly couldn't garner much sympathy for _them_, at the moment. Then she heard it. The sound of her name coming out of the Deluminator. It sounded like Harry's voice. Relief washed over her and she clicked it, a ball of blue light rising out of it. Malfoy stared at it in wonder, and watched it with wide eyes as it traveled into Hermione's chest.

She turned to Malfoy.

"Do you want to come with me?"

He seemed surprised by her question.

"Do I have a choice?"

She smiled at him, a little sadly. "Of course. You could go back, make something up. Say I was faking my injuries and that I overpowered you, you were caught off-guard and I forced you to Apparate me away."

He stared at her for a few seconds, apparently thinking hard. She waited with bated breath, willing him to make a decision quickly. She wanted to get to Harry and Ron and make sure they were okay.

Malfoy grabbed her hand. "I'm coming with you."

She squeezed his hand reassuringly, letting him know she thought he was making the right choice, then turned on her heel, pulling him along with her.

* * *

><p>Hermione was so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep. Harry and Ron had tackled her in a fierce hug on her appearance at Shell Cottage, both of them weeping freely out of relief and overwhelming exhaustion at the ordeal they had all just experienced. Then almost immediately they had turned their wands on Malfoy, demanding to know what he was doing there. Hermione had explained how he had saved her, and she had taken him with her during her escape. They had been shocked, dumbfounded, and utterly grateful. But still wary, always wary, always cautious. So they had tied him up, and Harry had dug a grave for Dobby.<p>

She had been horrified to learn of the brave elf's death, and watched Harry dig the grave manually from the window, filled with sorrow and regret. Fleur had fretted over her, tending to her injuries, but all Hermione had wanted was to be alone. They held a funeral for Dobby, then she and Ron accompanied Harry as he questioned both Griphook and Mr. Ollivander. He explained to them about the Hallows, how Dumbledore had the Elder Wand. Then the three of them went into another room to talk to Malfoy.

Malfoy had wearily but willingly explained how he had been confined to the Manor and not been allowed to return to school. The dynamic between the trio and him had changed, although none of them were quite sure to what extent. Harry had been civil and Ron subdued during the interview. Malfoy gave them answers to every question they asked bluntly and without preamble. He said he just wanted the war to be over and for his family to be safe. He was scared that you-know-who was going to kill his parents, but he was grateful that Hermione had taken him with her. He did not know about any Death Eater plans; he was kept out of the loop because he was seen as incompetent since he was unable to kill Dumbledore the year before. He did not want to join a side. He would leave if they wanted him to.

He didn't say it, but Hermione knew, as Harry and Ron knew, that if he left, he would have nowhere to go.

They let him stay.


	3. Chapter 3

During the day, she, Harry and Ron worked with Griphook on their plan to break into Gringotts. At night, after dinner, Harry often retreated to some dark corner of the house to brood alone. Ron would sometimes try and engage her in conversation, but she found herself intrigued by one of the other houseguests. Consequently, he spent most of his evenings chatting with Dean and Luna, while she spent hers spying on Draco Malfoy.

She had no idea what he did during the day, but at night, when everyone else was in the house, he would sit outside. Sometimes he would go down to the beach and walk at the edge of the surf, but she never followed him down there. For the first week of their stay she kept her distance, just watching him from the shadows, wondering about him, and longing to ask him a million questions. She didn't know if she would ever work up the courage to ask them, or even engage in a conversation (the most they had managed so far was nodding when they passed in the hallway), but thankfully, on their fifth night at the Cottage, he took the matter out of her hands.

"Granger, are you ever going to come out here and join me? Or did you plan on just creepily watching me from the shadows every night?"

Upon his words she immediately felt herself blush, and two strong emotions began raging a short battle within her: embarrassment and indignation. Indignation won. She began walking toward him.

"I am _not_ creepy."

He shrugged, and remained with his back to her as she approached. "I didn't say _you_ were. I said watching me every night for the past five nights behind the bushes was."

She hmphed, pulling the wool blanket she had brought from inside the house tighter around her as she sank onto the ground beside him. A slight breeze was blowing in from the ocean, and it made goosebumps rise on her arms.

They lapsed into a silence, both staring out over the cliff's edge toward the crescent moon reflecting over the dark waters. She fidgeted uncomfortably, not sure what to say. What could she say? This boy (man?) had tortured and teased her endlessly for six years, had tried to hand Hogwarts over to the Death Eaters, had brought about the death of Dumbledore, had shown his loyalty to be to Voldemort when he got the Dark Mark branded on his left forearm, and pledged himself to get rid of her "kind", and yet….and _yet_, he had been willing to risk his life to save her own. She couldn't comprehend it. It simply…didn't add up. She had to know. She _needed_ to know.

"Malfoy."

He turned to look at her, full in the face, eyebrows quirked inquisitively. She bit her lip, then pressed on determinedly.

"What made you do it?"

She appreciated that he didn't feign ignorance and ask what she meant. He sighed, turning away, back toward the ocean.

"I already told you, Granger. I want the war to be over."

She shook her head. "Saving me wouldn't change the outcome of the war. It's something else. _Tell me_. Please. I need to know."

Perhaps it was something in her tone of voice, perhaps it was because she had said please, but whatever the reason, when Malfoy turned to look at her again she could tell, by the way that his usually cloudy gray eyes hard turned to hard steel, that he was going to tell her the truth.

When he spoke, his voice was soft, quiet, almost a whisper, and he was looking past her, toward the open sea.

"I saw…so many people die. Mostly I didn't know them, but sometimes I did, though never well. I never played an active part in their deaths, and although there were a few of them I could maybe have saved, the risk never seemed worth it. And although I don't…know you well, I don't know _you_, as a person…I still know you. To know that I could have saved _you_, someone I know, someone I went to school with, someone I had classes with and hated and teased for their bushy hair…**I** couldn't have lived with that guilt. I would rather have been killed with the knowledge that finally I had taken a stand."

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. But he wasn't finished.

"But also…I really meant what I said, about wanting the war to be over. I think you're an important part to the resistance against the Dark Lord. Of course, everyone says that you three were on the run, just trying to save your own skins…but I knew better. I know how much Potter loves playing the hero. I would have bet my inheritance that you three were out doing something to fight back. What it was, what it _is_, I have no idea, but now my suspicions are confirmed. And of course, I don't think Potter or Weasley could figure out how to tie their own shoelaces without you telling them."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "You give me too much credit, and you give Ron and Harry too little."

He shrugged, and became quiet.

"But…you say you just want the war to end. But whenever you say that, you assume our side will be the one winning and ending it. What made you switch?"

He chuckled, bitterly. "I had my eyes opened to quite a few things about our _cause_ while I was imprisoned in my own house. And one thing I realized was that if our side won, it would only be temporary, because _your_ people would never stop fighting. Even if your people kept getting killed, there'd always be more of you to take up the banner. But for us…for _them_, I suppose I should say, there's not an endless supply of people. Because the difference between their people and your people is that you actually have a cause worth fighting for."

She was taken aback by his words. Draco Malfoy, crusader of the purebloods, denouncing their beliefs? It was unfathomable. Yet here he was, doing just that.

"And what is the cause we have that's worth fighting for?" She was curious as to his interpretation of it.

He turned his head toward her, then stated simply, "Freedom."

She sucked in a breath, almost as a gasp, because he was right, he was _so right_, and tears sprang to her eyes as she marveled at the beauty of it.

She sat with him for a few more minutes, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing gently against the shore, then stood up.

"Well…thank you, Malfoy. For everything."

And she turned and walked back inside. She thought she might have heard him respond, but it could have just been the wind.

* * *

><p>For the next two weeks she sat outside with Malfoy every night. Twice she went down with him to the beach, taking off her shoes and enjoying the way the sand felt between her toes. Sometimes they said very little, just enjoying the silence and the feeling of not being alone, but mostly they talked. Never about the war, never about the harsh realities that loomed just on the horizon, no. They reminisced about school, and their childhoods. They talked about summer holidays and family vacations. They argued, often ("Granger, who in their right mind sets out knitted hats for house elves?"), but laughed more ("You did <em>what<em> at your cousin's fifth birthday party?"). They made a point not to talk about the future. It was obvious, the way sometimes one of them would start a sentence and then stop, that they both thought it was foolish to think of such things. How could they think of their futures, when they didn't know for certain what type of world they would have a future in?

The night before she, Harry, Ron and Griphook were to depart for Diagon Alley, Hermione went out to say her farewell.

He was standing with his back to the house, hands in his pockets, looking up at the vast, starry sky. He did not seem to notice as she came to stand beside him.

"So…we're leaving tomorrow. Harry, Ron, and myself, that is. Griphook too."

He nodded, still not looking at her.

"I just wanted…to come say goodbye. For now, at least. And to wish you luck, with whatever you decide to do."

Still, he said nothing. She waited a minute for him to reply, but as he continued to stare at the sky, she turned to go back into the house, feeling rather foolish.

"Granger, wait."

She looked over her shoulder at him. He was looking at the ground, his shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"You're going off to do something brave and stupid, aren't you?"

She said nothing. He sighed, then turned to look at her, squinting his eyes in the darkness.

"Take care of yourself, okay? I'll be pretty pissed if I saved your life, only to have you go and lose it a month later."

She smiled then, and laughed quietly.

"I'll try my best, Malfoy. You take care of yourself too."

He nodded his head jerkily once, eyebrows furrowed and looking at a spot on the ground to the left of her.

She went inside the house and to bed, and dreamt of dragons and the sword of Gryffindor and the smile of a blonde-haired boy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the reviews/story alerts/favorites adds, everyone! This is one of those chapters where there is a lot of stuff repeated...I hope it isn't too boring, I tried to change it enough to be interesting, and it is from Hermione's POV so that's different...

* * *

><p>She and Ron were waiting on Harry and Luna to return from the Ravenclaw Common Room. Ron seemed oddly reluctant to have Luna take Harry, but he hadn't pressed the issue. They stood away from the others, who were all chattering excitedly, discussing how they would destroy the Cup Horcrux, when he walked in through the portrait behind Bill Weasley.<p>

Her heart skipped a beat when he entered the room, and for a moment she thought she had gone temporarily deaf, until she realized that a hush had fallen over the entire room. He was looking around warily, slightly fearful of all the hostile faces he encountered, and then his eyes locked on hers. His expression softened, and he gave her a weak smile.

Without thinking about what she was doing, she crossed the space between them in a few long strides and threw her arms around him tightly, burying her face in his neck. He chuckled.

"You came," she whispered in his ear. "You're going to fight."

"Yes. Well, that is, if you don't strangle me first."

She quickly released him and stepped back to look up into his face. She realized she was beaming at him, despite the tears which were filling her eyes. He shrugged in feigned nonchalance.

"I thought about what you said, about me overestimating your abilities, and decided you were right. I was overestimating them. So to ensure you don't die, I had to come and watch your back, since I still don't trust Potter and Weasley to do it for you."

She laughed, but mainly at his poor attempt to gloss over his concern for her. Ron came over and shook his hand. That, combined with her own greeting of Malfoy, seemed to be enough for everyone else. They resumed their previous conversations, and he was promptly ignored by all in the room except she and Ron.

"Harry is with Luna in the Ravenclaw Common Room looking for…something," she informed him. "Something to help in the fight against Voldemort. Ron and I…we have to go look for something too. But we know where it is. We'll come back to this room when we get it. Will you…wait for us?"

He looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face, then nodded. She smiled at him.

"Good. We'll be back soon."

They turned to go, but a question from Malfoy stopped her in her tracks.

"What room _is_ this, by the way?"

She paled slightly, then looked over her shoulder at him.

"The Room of Requirement."

She saw some color leave his face as well, but he merely clenched his jaw and nodded again.

She longed to say something else to him, but there wasn't much time. She and Ron headed out the door, toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom…

* * *

><p>The trio ran down the seventh floor corridor, panting, and burst into the Room of Requirement. Four people were left in it: Ginny, Tonks, Neville's grandmother, and Malfoy. Hermione immediately walked toward him as Mrs. Longbottom addressed Harry.<p>

"Thanks for waiting," she said quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear. "Are you going to go down to the Great Hall for a fighting assignment?"

He looked at her strangely, his brows furrowed. "I don't know. I don't really know…where I fit in to all this." She smiled at him sympathetically, then turned back toward Harry and Ron. She noticed that Mrs. Longbottom, Ginny, and Tonks had all left the room.

"Harry-", she started, but Ron interrupted her.

"Hold on! We've forgotten someone!"

"Who?" asked Harry in confusion.

"The house elves! We can't exactly ask them to fight for us, can we? We need to get them out…"

Hermione laughed, then bounded over toward Ron and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"All your years of making fun of S.P.E.W., and here you are, worried about house elves. I never thought I'd see the day…" she said, looking at her friend fondly. Harry laughed, then glanced over at Malfoy.

"Malfoy, if you don't mind, we need to get back into this room, but as something different, so if you could go down to the Great Hall…"

"Wait, Harry," she said. "I know what room you want to turn this into. And Malfoy has a lot of experience in there. He can help us."

Malfoy stood looking at them curiously, then he shrugged.

"Just tell me what you need me to do."

Harry hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. Let's all go outside, and I'll explain what we're looking for…"

* * *

><p>Hermione was racing down an aisle of mismatched furniture and piles of books when she heard the shout of a spell, the crash of a large object, and a yell that sounded like Harry's voice. Then out of her peripheral vision she saw the mountain of accumulated junk to her left sway dangerously, and she let out a scream.<p>

She pulled out her wand, preparing to steady it, but it stopped of its own accord, or someone else beat her to it. Blood was rushing in her ears as she sped around the corner, and froze at what she saw.

Harry was standing in the middle of an aisle. To his right she saw the bust of an ugly old warlock with a wig atop its head, and a dully shining tiara-shaped object atop that. _The diadem_. In front of Harry, just within her line of vision, were the hulking figures of two most unwelcome visitors: Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. She shot a stunning spell at Crabbe's head, who was barely yanked out of its path by Goyle. He turned on her furiously, and she didn't hear him say the words, but she could guess what that green jet of light meant, and she frantically dived behind a worn-out armchair. She collected herself, prepared to return to the fight, when she felt a warm hand wrap around her wrist.

"Don't even think about it," Malfoy growled in her ear as he charged around the corner, firing a stunning spell at Goyle as he went.

Simultaneously touched but irritated, Hermione had no intentions of honoring Malfoy's wishes. She lunged after him, but was forced to leap out of the way of another killing curse from Crabbe. She heard his and Goyle's shouts of confusion as their old comrade took up arms against them, and she smiled wryly. That ought to work to their advantage….

But then to her left she heard an unnatural screeching sound, and saw Ron charging up the aisle with Crabbe close on his heels.

"Like it hot, scum?" Crabbe roared, but he seemed to have no control over what he had done. Staring up at the mass of flames in horror, she was momentarily paralyzed with fear. Then she heard Harry's voice, over the howl of the blaze.

"RUN!"

She turned back the way she had come, and felt rather than heard Harry, Ron, and Malfoy behind her. She turned down the main aisle, back toward the entrance, but the fire had beaten her, and she pelted back in the other direction. She stopped when she reached the boys, and they all huddled together as the flames formed a circle around them, coming ever closer.

"What can we do?" she cried in desperation, and barely noticed when Malfoy grabbed her hand.

"Here!" cried Harry, and he grabbed three broomsticks, tossing one each to Ron and Malfoy. Without another word, Malfoy mounted the broom, then pulled her onto it behind him.

"Hold tight," he gritted through his teeth, and then they were soaring into the air.

"Harry, let's get out!" she heard Ron bellow, although she could not see him through all the thick, black smoke…

They began zooming toward where they thought the entrance was, but then a high, piteous human scream reached their ears from amidst the terrible commotion. She saw Harry turn his head, and then he changed direction, yelling back at them "Get out!"

"No, Harry!" she screamed, but Malfoy was heeding his advice, and continued on toward the entrance.

Black smoke was filling her lungs, she was choking, suffocating, they were all going to die in here, she found herself thinking, and no one else knows about the horcruxes…it will all be for naught…

And then, suddenly, she, Malfoy, and Ron were out in the corridor, coughing and spluttering but alive, thankfully alive. She turned her eyes fearfully toward the door, waiting, willing Harry to come out, and every second that ticked by drained her hope more and more…

And then he was there, lugging an unconscious Goyle. The door to the Room of Requirement sealed shut behind him, and she thought that she might weep from relief…

Goyle slid off the broom onto the floor, and none of them paid him any attention except Malfoy, who checked his pulse, then bound him in ropes. She and Ron approached Harry, who held up the diadem. A black, tarry substance appeared to be leaking out of it, and then it vibrated violently in Harry's hands and broke in two. She cupped her hand over her mouth in realization.

"It must have been Fiendfyre!" she whispered, staring down at the broken pieces.

"Sorry?"

"Fiendfyre - cursed fire - it's one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it's so dangerous - how did Crabbe know how to - ?"

"Must've learned from the Carrows," Harry replied grimly. She nodded, horrified.

"Shame he wasn't concentrating when they mentioned how to stop it, really. If he hadn't tried to kill us all, I'd be quite sorry he was dead."

"But don't you realize?" she whispered to them. "This means, if we can just get the snake-"

She stopped abruptly as Malfoy approached them. If he noticed their sudden silence at his presence, he did not let on, but merely looked at them.

"So, what now?"

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but all four of them whipped their heads around as yells and shouts and the unmistakable noises of dueling filled the corridor.

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat. Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: For those who are curious, because this is an issue I grappled with while writing this story…when Harry and Ron Apparated away from Malfoy Manor, they had between them the wands of Draco, Bellatrix, and Wormtail. Harry uses Draco's wand, Ron Wormtail's, and Hermione Bellatrix's. When Draco was taking Hermione back down to the cellar, he borrowed his mother's wand, which he and Hermione used to Apparate away, so Draco has Narcissa's wand. Just fyi.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**: So, thank you to everyone who read this story! I know I didn't tell everyone it was going to be short chapters-wise too, but oh well. I could have easily posted it as a oneshot, but I liked cutting it off at certain points...anyway, thans so much again! If you added this to your favorites, story alert list, reviewed, or did none of those things but still read this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and if could, I would send you all cookies. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

* * *

><p>Hermione felt as if the world was crumbling around her as she and Ron approached the other members of the Weasley family. They were crowded around three bodies: Fred, Tonks, and Remus. If she had the energy, she might cry. But she was too exhausted even to do that. She sank down onto her knees beside the body of Remus, staring at his face. It looked…peaceful. For some reason, she felt the bizarre urge to smile. At least he was somewhere safe now.<p>

She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder, and she knew it was Malfoy. He squatted beside her, and she leaned against him tiredly.

"So many people-" she began, but he just hushed her and said, "I know."

They sat there together, and he began rocking them gently side-to-side, humming under his breath.

"What are you singing?"

"What? Oh, just something my mother used to sing to me at night before bed. I can stop if you want, I know I'm a terrible singer."

She moved her head to lay it against his chest, listening to the steady sound of his heart beat. She shook her head.

"You are a terrible singer," she agreed with him quietly. "But don't stop."

* * *

><p>She screamed when she saw Harry's body, and all rational thought left her mind as a feeling of rage overtook her. She snarled, pushing her way through the crowd, intending to blast the snake apart and then rip Voldemort limb from limb with her bare hands-<p>

"Don't be an idiot," someone growled in her ear, and she felt strong hands snake around her waist and yank her back. She looked behind her into the face of Malfoy, and his expression was filled with such anguish that it broke her heart.

She turned back toward the Death Eaters, and saw that Neville had broken forward and was yelling at Voldemort. She was vaguely aware that Malfoy's arm was still wrapped around her, and she let herself sink back into his warmth, enjoying the feeling of his body against hers and how safe it made her feel…

She felt him stiffen suddenly, and she twisted around to look up at his face. His gaze was locked on something near Voldemort, and she followed it until she saw what had captivated him.

His parents.

They were standing beside one another, looking disheveled and a little worse for wear, but they were alive. And they had seen Malfoy. They were staring at him with matching expressions of shock and relief, and she felt Malfoy's body twitch involuntarily behind her, almost as if he meant to go to them, and she grabbed his wrist tightly.

"Don't be an idiot," she hissed, and he looked down at her, but it did not look like he was really seeing her. His eyes looked distant and far-off, but slowly they cleared and she seemed to snap back into his focus. He set his jaw, then nodded. She turned back to watch Neville, then yelped, for he was wearing the Sorting Hat and it had caught on fire and he was screaming, and the next thing she knew he had pulled out the sword of Gryffindor and with one graceful swipe had chopped off Nagini's head.

Chaos reigned.

People were screaming and spells began firing, and somehow over the din she heard Hagrid yell "HARRY! WHERE'S HARRY?", and the house elves and centaurs were charging down the hillside and people were swarming into the castle to continue the battle.

She whipped her head around, searching for Malfoy and Ron, but she could not spot either of them, so she ran into the Great Hall. There were pairs of people dueling already, and she saw Bellatrix approaching Ginny and Luna, so she scrambled off to help them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Malfoy dueling Mulciber, and she felt her heart seize up in fear, but she really needed to concentrate…

* * *

><p>Hermione could not accurately describe how she was feeling. The best she could do would be to say that she was experiencing the full spectrum of emotions. Relief, joy, sadness, hope, and everything in between. Harry had gone off to the Gryffindor Common Room to sleep, and while she briefly thought of joining him, she knew there was one more thing she had to do.<p>

She walked into the Great Hall slowly, without hurry, because she knew that now they had all the time in the world. He was sitting with his parents, slightly apart from the rest of the group. His parents kept glancing around furtively, as if expecting at any moment for someone to come up and tell them they couldn't be there. Malfoy, however, looked quite at ease. He turned to her as she approached and smiled.

"Hermione," he said, by way of greeting, and she felt her heart warm at hearing him say her first name, so easily, so effortlessly, like he did it every day.

"Draco," she returned, smiling as she sat down beside him.

"You made it. It's a good thing I came, then. Who knows what would have happened to you without me."

"Yes," she replied, and then she leaned forward and kissed him.

She felt him smile against her mouth, and then he moved his lips over hers, slowly, sweetly. When they pulled apart, it was to Lucius Malfoy's look of disgust and Narcissa Malfoy's look of curiosity.

"I was going to go up to the Gryffindor Tower to try and get some sleep. Would you…come with me? I just…don't want to be alone."

He smirked down at her. "Granger, I never took you for the type."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I seriously do want to just sleep."

He sighed playfully. "Do I have a choice?"

She resisted the urge to smirk herself. "Of course."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto her feet. "I'm coming with you."

Lucius and Narcissa stared after them, too shocked to speak. Luna waltzed by, holding hands with Ron, and she watched Hermione and Draco leave the Hall with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You know," she said dreamily, "they make quite a nice couple. I think perhaps one day they might get married."

Then she looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, and smiled at them serenely.

Narcissa looked over to the door her son had just walked out of, frowning slightly and thinking hard.

"She must be concentrating very hard on something," Luna whispered up into Ron's ear. "She hasn't even noticed that her husband has fainted."

_La fin_


End file.
